1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a printing apparatus and a printing method for performing recording for labels and cards widely used in the field of POS (point of sale), FA (factory automation), physical distribution or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method for performing printing for labels and cards by employing an ink jet printing system.
2. Description of Related Art
At present, a label printer having an ink jet recording system utilized therefor has been put in practical use. General advantages obtainable from ink jet recording are noted below. Specifically, one of them is that ink jet printing is effected with excellent quietness attributable to no contact with a printing medium, another one is that ink jet printing is performed at a high speed, another one is that ink jet printing can be achieved at a high density and further one is that ink jet color printing can easily be realized, and an ink jet printing apparatus can be designed with small dimensions. On the other hand, many label printers are constructed in such a manner that a number of labels are successively adhesively placed on a long peeling sheet that is called a separator and so-called label paper having the thus prepared peeling sheet wound in the form of a roll is conveyed. In the case that the ink jet system is applied to the label printer of the foregoing type, it is required to take a measure for suppressively preventing the label paper from being floated up at a printing head, and moreover, being slantwise conveyed.
Lately, in POS or the like, many requests are raised not only for roll-shaped label paper but also for a cut sheet. Therefore, a printing apparatus employable for both of roll-shaped label paper and a cut sheet is increasingly required.
Conventionally, it is difficult for the following reasons that a label printer is applied to a cut sheet. Specifically, with the conventional roll-shaped label paper, in order to determined printing timing, a marking is placed on the rear side of the roll-shaped paper, light beam is irradiated to the marked point, and subsequently, the reflected light beam is detected by a sensor. Since a base sheet to which labels are adhesively placed is not used any more, markings can be put on the rear side of the roll-shaped paper. However, since each cut sheet itself is used, it is not desirable that markings are put on the rear side of the cut sheet. For this reason, with the conventional printing method, it is difficult to determined printing timing.
In addition, to assure that the printing apparatus can be utilized for both of roll-shaped paper and a cut sheet, there arises a necessity for preparing conveying means for the roll-shaped paper and conveying means for the cut sheet. However, since the conveying means for the roll-shaped paper and the conveying means for the cut sheet are largely different from each other in respect of a type and a controlling method applicable thereto, it is practically difficult to adequately control each of conveying systems.
Further to the foregoing problems, it is also very difficult to compactly design a printing head, a recovering system unit, an ink feeding system and a printing medium conveying system.